Gym always beckoned

UA's Perry, UCLA's Jones were limited to one activity at JC

Life moves a bit slower in Carterville, Ill., than Jesse Perry
and Lazeric Jones grew up being used to.

There were basically two choices that Perry, the Arizona forward
from St. Louis, and Jones, the UCLA guard from St. Louis, had for
leisure when teaming there at John A. Logan College for two
seasons.

Go back to the gym, or go home.

They did a lot of both.

"There was really nothing to do," Jones said Monday. "We'd just
go back to our apartments and hang out all night."

Often, they'd hang out after going back to the gym to work on
their games, which improved enough for both to transform from low-
to mid-major prospects out of high school into starters for Pac-10
teams.

"They'd be there at 10, 11 o'clock at night," said Logan
assistant coach Kyle Smithpeters. "They both came in with minimal
recruitment but worked hard and did the things they needed to do.
Both kids were concerned with doing better and, 'What do I need to
do,' rather than question authority.

"It's no shock that (Perry) and Zeek are successful."

Their efforts began to pay off last season. Jones averaged 14.5
points and 5.7 assists, and Perry averaged 17.0 points and 10.0
rebounds for Logan.

The stats weren't the only clue they were heading somewhere
else, either.

The other was that, at one game, UCLA coach Ben Howland found
himself sitting near two other high-profile visitors.

"Sean (Miller) was there with his brother, Archie," Howland said
of the UA's coaching brothers. "And you could see that (Perry) was
going to be a good player."

Coaches on their level did not bother watching - much less offer
scholarships to - either player in high school.

Perry arrived at Logan with just 179 pounds on his 6-foot-7-inch
frame, needing work academically and on the court, Smithpeters
said.

Then there was Jones, who was an academic qualifier but lacked
the stats to blow away college recruiters earlier in his high
school career.

Part of his problem was that, until his senior year, he played
at Simeon Career Academy behind a guy named Derrick Rose. It's the
same Derrick Rose who took Memphis to a now-vacated NCAA title game
and became the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick in 2008.

Jones "played in a bit of a shadow, and really didn't get as
much time as he could have," Smithpeters said.

So while Jones excelled in an expanded role at Logan, Perry took
care of his classwork. He also gained about 20 pounds and added
skills to a game already measured in toughness and passion.

"He was a very good athlete, and he played hard," Howland
said.

Meanwhile, all those late nights off the court forged a strong
bond. Jones said he still texts Perry regularly and calls him one
of his best friends.

Perry was not available for interviews this week, but Jones said
he knew during their first practice together that they would become
friends. Their body language and actions on the court immediately
spoke louder than words.

"It was just the way he plays," Jones said. "He just plays hard,
and he's always working."

Smithpeters said that's the norm at Logan College, which sent
eight players to Division I last season.

Guys come in looking for a major college offer and don't stray
much from that mission.

"It was a very close-knit group," Smithpeters said. "They were
here for two years together and stayed over the summer (after their
freshman year). They were good kids who got along well. When you
have a common interest in wanting to win and get better, it's easy
to."

The end result of that goal will be on display Thursday during
an ESPN2 telecast that is likely to reach some homes and basketball
offices back in Carterville.

Perry "has really been a great addition to what we're doing,
like Lazeric Jones has been to UCLA," Sean Miller said. "There's
not too many high school or junior college programs that are going
to have a starter on UCLA and Arizona in year one when they both
arrive on campus. I'm sure those guys are going to be very excited
to watch the game on Thursday."

Rim shots

• Miller hit all 25 free throws to advance into the round of
eight in the ongoing "Shots From the Heart" charity free-throw
competition. Miller defeated Duquesne's Ron Everhart, who made 22
of 25, and will face either Holy Cross' Milan Brown or Drake's Mark
Phelps in the West Region final next month.

• Miller said guards Kyle Fogg (upper respiratory issue) and
Daniel Bejarano (flulike symptoms) have returned to practice, after
Fogg was ill during last weekend's trip to Washington, and Bejarano
did not go at all.

• Miller is scheduled to meet with the Zona Zoo student fans
this evening. "We want them to know that their impact is really
felt," Miller said.